US1636164A - Device for operating car couplers - Google Patents

Description

July 19, 1927. I a a BoNsA-L'L- 1,636,164

DEVICE FOR OPERATING CAR COUPLERS Filed 001;- 24, 1924 Inventor: CharleJDfi all Patented July 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

CHARLESD. BONSALL, OF NEW KENSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO UNION METAL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPOBATION F DELA- WARE.

DEVICE FOR OPERATING CAR COUPLERS.

Application filed October 24. 1924. Serial No. 745,635.

It is to'be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construc tion shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof within the 6 scope of the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art.

This particular invention relates towhat is generally known in the art as a rotating type of uncoupling device for car couplers 10 and comprises an operating rod revolubly mounted on the car with brackets or in any other convenient manner; which rod. is usually bent downwardly at the outer end to form a handle, and is bent outwardly at its inner end to form a crank, projecting over the coupler, which crank is provided with a horizontally positioned eye with its axis perpendicularto the longitudinal center of the car. The standard vertical plane coupler has a knuckle pivoted to the coupler head and provided with a tail behind which the lock is placed. The lock lifterprotrudes through and above the coupler head and is provided with a horizontally positioned eye." This lock lifter eye is 1% in diameter and its axis is perpendicular to the longitudinal center of the car. This size and position has been determined by the American Railroad Association and is in service.

My invention resides in the connection between the eye on the crank of the operating rod and the eye on the coupler lock 5 lifter. When the handle is raised the rod is revolved and the crank is thereby raised other or from either the coupleror the opcrating rod. It is frequently necessary to uncouple cars when they are coupled to gcther and in contact so that it is impossible to throw the knuckle of either coupler. To meet this condition couplers are designed to assume a lock set position wherein the lock lifter can be raised from behind the standard for the majority of couplers now.

tail of the knuckle and retained in such a position by means within the head of the coupler independent of the operating rod.

This allows the operating rodto fall close to the locklifter. vTo accommodate such a movement the connection between the operating rod crank and the coupler must foreshorten, which is accomplished by making it of several parts which collapse by. means of a hinge joint or a sliding connection. to each other, or,.as in my design, the component parts are pivotally and slidably connected. The operating rod,. as above described, is old and in use on hundreds of thousands of cars new in existence. Such rods hada short chain connectingthe crank arm to the lock lifter of the coupler which chains proved unsatisfactory and were responsible for a little more than half of the defects for uncoupling mechanism reported by the Interstate Commerce Commission. These chains were defective because they were broken, missing, kinked andeither too long or too short. v

One'ofythefobjects of this inventionv is.

to provide a connection between the rod and the coupler which will eliminate the defects of the old chain and. meet all service conditions required. These short chains were broken by fall- "ing behind the coupler horn and being smashed between the coupler horn and the strikingcasting by impact of the cars in coupling. "The device is designed so that the component parts cannot become disconnectedfrom each other or from the operating rod or the coupler. The connection be tween the component parts and also their connections to the operating rod and the coupler are suchthatthe device. cannot become kinked. Formerly when a brakeman wanted a small chain to repair one of the old connections he simply guessed as to the amount of chain required and applied it'to the canwhich accounts forthe number of too long and too short chains reported by the commission. This is not possible with my device. r

Another object is. to provide a connection which may be hooked. into the eye of the coupler lock'lifter with the hooked member connected to thecrank of the operating rod by another member which permits it. to adapt itself to the various service movements of the coupler but prevents it from becoming disengaged from the lock litter in service.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device wherein the component parts are identical and duplicates, therefore, interchangeable. Duplication, of course, also sim-. plifies manufacture, handling, accounting, etc.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which can be assembled at the point of manufacture and shipped a unit to the point of application to a car and which can be applied to the car by a very simple operation which requires no special tools or appliances.

Another object is to obtain a device wherein the component parts are duplicates so that they cannot be wrongfully applied to the car or to each other.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a car with my invention applied thereon. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the connector.

Fig. 3 is a side View of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4t is an elevation of a modification oi? Figs. 2 and 3 with a slidable connection.

Fig. 5 is a side view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 istwo pairs of members per F 4 and 5 in assembled open position.

Fig. 7 is the connector per Figs. t and in a partially collapsed position and also, shows the slidable connection between the pairs or members.

Fig. 8 is a detail of the hook to show the lips and notches for retaining the members in'closed position. 7' 1 In a railway car the operating rod 1 is mounted on the end sill2 by brackets 3. The usual operating rod had a handle 4 and a crank arm 5 which arm has a horizontally disposed eye 6; The lock lifter 7 of the coupler 8 also has a horizontally disposed eye 9. and my invention resides in acounector for these two mentioned eyes.

The device comprises two pairs of complementary hooked and preferably duplicate members. The members of each pairare shaped to be positioned opposite each other to form a closed eye.

The two upper members may be hooked into the eye Got the operating rod crank arm and moved opposite each other to form a closed eye 14.-. The two lower members may likewise be hooked into the eye 9 of the coupler lock litter and moved opposite eachother to'torm a closed eye (15). The

two pairs of members (upper and lower) are then connected together by pivot 10. So

that the device may be shipped as a unit from the factory, it may be advisable to fasten the four component parts together by the rivet 10, whichis a pivot, so that the pairs of members may be moved to open position, as shown in Fig. 6, for connection to the crank arm and look lifter, respectively, and then moved to closed position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4:. The members are held in closed position by the lips 11 which have slits 16 on either side of them so they may be bent toengage the corresponding notches 12. (See F ig. 11.) In the construction shownin Figs. 2 and 3 the members are provided with round holes so that the pairs to move opposite each other to form a closed eye, and means for detachably securing each pair of said complei'i'ientary members in the position forming a closed eye.

2. A connector for a railway car coupler and its o] )erating rod comprising two pairs 01" complementary members, each, pair 0t complementary members pivotally connected by a pin to move opposite each other to form a closed eye,'said pin also pivotally connecting said pairs of members together, and means for detachablysecuring each pair of said complementary members in the position of a closed eye.

3. A connector'for a railway car coupler and its operating rod comprising two pairs of complementary members, each .pair of complementary members pivotally connected by a pin to move opposite each other to form a closed eye, said pin also slidably connecting said pairs of members together, and means for detachably securing each pair of said complementary members in the position of a closed eye.

4. A connector for a railway car coupler andit operating rod comprising two pairs of complementary members, each pair of complementary members pivotally connected by a pin to move opposite each other to form a closed eye, said pin also pivotally, slidably connecting said pairs ofmembers together, and means for detachably securing each pair of said complementary members in the position of a closed eye.

5. A connector for a railway car coupler and its "operating rod, comprising a plurality of members arranged in pairs, each member having a hook at one end and a hole at its opposite end, the hooks of each pair of members positioned complem'entarily to Figs. 6 and 7 shows how 1. A connector for a railway car coupler iii 1 ill) lltl 1,ase,164

move to form closed-eyes at the opposite ends of the connector, a pin rotatively engaging all of said holes, means for retaining each pair of said members in the position of a closed eye, and means to hold'said pin in place.

6. A connector for a'railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprising a plurality of members arranged in pairs, each member having a hook at one end and an elongated hole at its opposite end, the hooks of each pair of members positioned complementarily to move to form closed eyes at the opposite ends of the connector, a pin rotatively engaging all of said holes, means for retaining each pair of said members in the position of a closed eye, and means to hold said pin in place.

7. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprising a plurality of duplicate members arranged in pairs, each member having a hook at one end and an elongated hole at its opposite end, hooks of each pair of members positioned complementarily to move to form closed eyes at the opposite ends of the connector, a pin rotatively engaging all of said holes, means for retaining said members in the position of a closed eye, and means to hold said pin in place. a

8. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod, said connector comprising complementary members pivotally connected together to move opposite each other to form a closed eye, with integral means to retain said members in the position of a closed eye.

9. A connector for a railway ear coupler and its operating rod, comprising four said pin also connecting said pairs of members together.

10. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprising four identical members, which are secured together to form two pairs of complementary members, each pair of complementary members pivotally connected by a pin to move opposite each other to form a closed eye, said pin also connecting said pairs of members together, and means for detachably securing each pair of said complementary members in the position of a closed eye.

11. In a railway car, the combination of an operating rod mounted upon the car having a horizontally disposed eye, a coupler with a lock lifter having a horizontally disposed eye, a connector therefor comprising two pairs of complementary members, each pair of complementary vmembers pivotally connected by a pin to move opposite each other, to form a closed eye, said pin also pivotally connecting said pairs of members together, said eye engaging the lock lifter eye and operating rod eye, respectively, and means for detachably securingeach pair of complementary members in the position of a closedeye.

CHARLES D, BONSALL.

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